Ninkasi Adventures

Accounts of Dick, Donna aboard Ninkasi, a 1988 Hunter 33.5' sailboat.

June 4, 2014

We took it easy this
morning as we waited for the traffic restrictions to expire on bridges we will
encounter on the way to Portsmouth. We caught the 9AM lock through at the Great
Bridge Lock. It was a short run from there to the Steel Bridge where we had to
wait for the opening.

The wait at the Steel
Bridge was nothing compared to what we experienced next. We arrived at the
Gilmerton Bridge with 2 other sailboats only to find the #7 Norfolk &
Southern railway bridge in a half closed position and maintenance personnel
working on it. The Gilmerton Bridge operator suggested we contact N&S to
find out when they would open for river traffic. Attempts to contact N&S
via VHF were unsuccessful. After waiting almost a half hour, the Gilmerton
operator called on the radio and said the N&S would be opening shortly. It
took another twenty minutes before they raised the bridge to fully open. The
Gilmerton operator opened immediately and we proceeded onward.

As we were approaching the
Belt Line railroad bridge, we heard an announcement that it would be closing in
approximately 15 minutes. I pushed the throttle to the limit in hopes we could
beat the closing. We were almost to the bridge when I saw the large pulleys at
the top of the towers start to rotate. We could not make it safely, so we did a
quick 180 and idled back to sit and wait again.

The bridge lowered and the
train appeared on the far shore. Instead of continuing on, the train stopped,
someone got out and proceeded to walk across the bridge with the train slowly
following. It seemed to take forever for the train to clear the bridge. A slow
lift of the bridge followed and we were allowed to proceed, but only a short
distance.

The next obstacle was an
inbound cargo ship which we cleared by staying way right which really upset the
Navy security boat at the ship yard. Clearing the ship yard, we then encountered
a Navy Riverine group of 3 boats practicing for a demonstration at the upcoming
Harborfest. Boy did those boats ever have the river churned up. Again we stayed
way right and got by them.

The remaining quarter mile
to our marina was uneventful except for a quick stop to chat with John and do a
pumpout at the Portsmouth Boating Center.

No wind and no current
made docking easy as we entered our slip. Lines were made fast, shore power
connected and it was beer all around. We are home!

We got an early start this
morning even though we only plan on a thirty mile day. We departed the marina
with a little current assistance, but it only lasted until we entered the
Currituck Sound. We did manage some motor sailing which helped stabilize the
boat as we quartered into some 2 foot waves. Add lots of fetch and the shallows
of the Currituck and you get waves with a short period of 2 seconds and that
ain’t comfortable.

Things became much calmer
as we reached the upper section of the North Landing River. We jockeyed our
speed to time the North Landing Bridge, Centerville Turnpike Bridge and the
Great Bridge Bridge.

After passing through the
Great Bridge bridge, we pulled over and stopped just before the Great Bridge Lock. We
called it a travel day and took the rest of the day off.

I am awake early. The
winds are light and ENE. They are predicted to remain light, so all the
cruisers are eager to get moving. We grab some coffee and get underway.

Out on the ICW, we push onward
hoping the winds do not increase or switch back to the NE. If they do, it’s
going to be a long bumpy day. The wind did shift back to the NE after we were
about two-thirds across the Albemarle Sound. Thankfully, they remained light
and we were able to slip into the North River without any difficulties.

We contacted Midway Marina
and secured space on their face dock for the evening. We arrived shortly before
1PM and enjoyed the remainder of the day as downtime. Being Monday, Crabbie’s
Restaurant was closed so we had to rough-it and prepare our own dinner,
something we normally don’t do here.

We got a late start from
Dowry. The plan was to cruise about thirty some miles and anchor at the south
end of the Alligator River. Today was not the day for plans to work out.

We had one exciting event coming
through the Alligator-Pungo Canal. We sighted a pretty good sized black bear. He
was near the water’s edge when he spotted us. He turned and raced up the bank
and back in to some tall grass and trees. Boy could he move. Don’t think I
could out run one of these guys.

The wind never made the
forecasted shift so we had wind on the nose in the canal. Actually we had two
foot roller waves meeting us head on the last couple of miles in the canal.
When we exited the canal, it was immediately apparent that we were not going to
use any of the several anchorages there. Anchoring meant we would have endured
a miserable night on the hook so we continued up the Alligator River toward the
marina just on the north side of the bridge. Phone service is almost non-existent
in the area so we waited until we were almost there to contact the marina.
Fortunately, they had space for us.

When we arrived, we met
several other cruisers who had been at Dowry Creek the night before. We decided
to do a group dinner at the little restaurant there. We dined and Miss Wanda
(owner) stopped by to say hello and chat with us. The food was good, the
company excellent and a good time was had by all.

We retired for the evening
with cool temperatures, the wind still out of the NE, a forecast for light ENE winds
in the morning. Hope the forecasters are better than the ones we had today.

We’re
up early and already the northerly breeze is kicking up. Not what we want since
we are traveling the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers today. Northerly winds make for a
lumpy ride. The humidity and temperature is low and I am again wearing a
sweatshirt and shorts.

We
get to do some motor sailing and it helps our overall speed. As the morning
wears on, the winds increase, waves build and our discomfort increases. As we
reach the turning mark and enter the Bay River our sailing ends for a while. As
the Bay River narrows and becomes enclosed by riverside forests, the waters
calm until we cross the Pamlico River. It’s a bumpy ride across.

We
reach the Pungo River and are near our destination, Dowry Creek Marina. We are
running low on diesel in our main tank and I have emptied the jerry cans a
couple of days ago. We arrive as the winds peak for the day. Cross winds at the
fuel dock…fun, fun.

We
dock portside to and are immediately pinned to the dock. We refuel, fill the
jerry cans, and after four attempts manage to perform a pumpout. Then with the
help of the staff, we were able to get away from the dock and move to a slip,
again fighting a very strong cross wind.

We
have just enough time to square away the boat before the usual Dowry Creek
Happy Hour. There were about twenty boaters present and we had a thoroughly
enjoyable experience.

We
were up early and I contacted the Marine Range Control to make sure the ICW was
not going to be closed due to live fire exercises. Assured there were no
scheduled closures, we weighed anchor and was the second boat out of the
anchorage. We passed through the Onslow Beach Bridge, the range and headed on
toward Swansboro.

The
weather turned cloudy, gray and much cooler. I even pulled out a sweatshirt and
put it on. Later as light sprinkles set in, the sweatshirt felt even better
under a light slicker.

We
had planned to stop in Morehead City, but our early arrival caused us to
revisit that decision. We decided to save the expense of a marina and continued
on toward an anchorage in Cedar Creek.

We
bucked a strong tidal current in Core Creek which really slowed our progress.
Despite this, we arrived at the Cedar Creek anchorage around 1645. A houseboat
and a trawler were already anchored. Later two more sailboats and another
trawler joined the group.

We
do have a new problem though. The mast head anchor light has decided to stop
working. We will use the backup low hanging unit to make it home. No sense
climbing the mast if we are just a few days from home.

We
were up early and caught the first scheduled opening of the Wrightsville
Bridge. We were able to ride the tide and made good time. Otherwise, the day
was a typical ICW day. Leave early, run hard, drop the hook and call it a day.

We
arrived at Mile Hammock Bay and were the first boat there. That was unusual.
Sailboaters are usually the late arrivals. Trawlers and motor yachts typically
get a late start, pass everybody and arrive at the destination first.

We
were later joined by 2 more sailboats and 3 trawlers. We all experienced a calm
night as the marines were not conducting maneuvers.

About Us

Boating Experience: We have been sailing for about 40 years. It began in the seventies on my brother’s 18’ Windrose. In the eighties, we sailed on father-in-law’s 27’ Coronado. In 1995 we bought our first big boat, a 1981 Hunter 27. We sailed “Dream Catcher” all over the lower Chesapeake Bay for 10 years. In 2005 we purchased “Ninkasi”, a 1988 Hunter 33.5. We sailed her all over the lower Chesapeake until I retired in April 2007. We completed a month long cruise of the bay with crew member Buddy, our cat. We started seriously considering my dream of taking the AICW south to FL.
In October 2007 we headed south via the AICW with two other boats. Being newbies it was great to have them lead the way. We arrived in Stuart, FL in November, stayed all winter and had a blast. In April 2008 we started our solo trip home. Another wonderful time.
Condo remodeling and shoulder surgery prevented a repeat in 2008-09. This year, we plan to head south again, spend some time in Stuart, cruise to the Keys and up the West Coast of FL before we do a U-ie and head back for home. Unfortunately our favorite mate Buddy passed last year. He will be sorely missed. Here’s hoping “the plan” works!